Recap

Rick’s big breakdown was the “moment” in “Try”. Rick has always been, and will continue to be the centrepiece. But what I love about The Walking Dead is its (hit and miss) ability to nurture the peripheral characters giving them rich and interesting stories…and then sometimes killing them.

The best example of this is the work the show has done with Carol. Playing the long game from season one, building her into one of the show’s most complex characters through her tumultuous arc involving loss, change, and self-realization of sorts. She is a completely different person than the Carol we met in season one, but everything she is now is true to who she was and the experiences she’s had along the way.

But “Try” wasn’t about Carol and it was Sasha’s, not Rick’s, story I was invested in. Continue reading →

Things happened. Big things. Things that are meaningful and irrevocable and wonderful. So let’s jump right in as I try, like so many fans out there, to make sense of my Castle/Beckett feelings.

We begin with Beckett clinging to the edge of a building, calling out for Castle as she loses her grip. Just as all hope seems lost, we cut to three days earlier. Oh, season finales. After discovering what appears to be a gang-related murder in an alley, Beckett, Castle, and the boys soon discover a link to Montgomery’s home and the files he was trying to keep hidden. Drama, stolen glances, and intensity ensue, highlighting how much Castle, Ryan, and Esposito love Beckett in their own ways. Each of them will do pretty much anything to support Beckett and keep her safe, and we see this play out throughout the episode. Of course, Castle is keeping a secret about the files and the case, and we all know that it’s only a matter of time until it comes out.

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We’re heading in the right direction, people. I mean, sure, we’re celebrating the fact that Castle and Beckett are even talking to each other at all, let alone talking about their feelings, but after the last few episodes we’ll take what we can get. It’s no secret that I was getting a little sick of the constant evading, concealing, and inability to communicate, and I was thoroughly fed up with Castle when he said this would be his last case working with Detective Beckett. I knew it wasn’t going to prove true, but somehow that made it even more annoying. Enough already!

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I can comment on the actual episode. I felt that “Undead Again” was all about one person knowing better than another and pulling the wool over their eyes. This plays out in the zombie storyline, but also more significantly in Castle and Beckett’s relationship. In terms of the zombies, we (or the characters) are fooled into believing that they might actually be the walking undead. When that theory is debunked, we see the case of one “zombie” being manipulated into committing a crime against his will and without his knowledge. See: pulling the wool over his eyes. As for Castle and Beckett, they simply can’t keep up their charade any longer, and there are many layers of the charade: first and foremost is the fact that they’re in love with each other and not acting on it, second is Beckett hiding from Castle that she heard him say he loved her last year, third is Castle hiding his knowledge that she heard him, and fourth is Castle hiding info about Johanna Beckett’s murder and Kate’s shooting (which will most certainly come up in the finale next week).

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While I normally don’t write stand-alone reviews for Community, I enjoyed last night’s episode so much that I think it is warranted. “Origins of Vampire Mythology” struck just the right chord of funny, sweet, and weird, and pretty much summed up the essence of all the main characters. Having been slightly underwhelmed by the two-part blanket/pillow fort battle that preceded “Origins of Vampire Mythology” (maybe I just don’t like to see Troy and Abed fighting), this week’s episode was a perfect example of why I love Community so much: the genuine wackiness and heartfelt earnestness of the characters.

Everybody is earnest in what they do: Annie genuinely wants to help Britta, even if she goes about it in a questionable way; Shirley is there for her friend Jeff in his time of need; Troy is lovable and loving, and is sometimes a doofus; Abed is Abed. Even Jeff, who is egotistical and self-serving to the extreme, pursues his egoism and self-promotion with conviction and zeal. The show doesn’t apologize for who these characters are, and as a result their study group/friendship is both believable AND a barrel of laughs.

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As was to be expected, nothing in the way of relationship advancement happened in “The Limey”. However, I actually liked this episode better than last week’s for a few reasons, not the least of which is that we got some real character development on the part of Kate Beckett. While “47 Seconds” followed Castle closely through his childish reaction to finding out Kate’s secret, this week we go home with Beckett, seeing things from her point of view and gaining insight into the character. I wasn’t happy with the lack of discussion between Castle and Beckett (no surprise there), but watching Beckett grapple with her feelings is far more interesting than Castle pouting about her betrayal.

Lanie was really the best part of this episode in my opinion. She tells it like it is, and always has. She’s been aware of the attraction between Castle and Beckett from day one, and has never been shy about encouraging her friend to go for it with “writer boy”. In “The Limey”, we not only see her supporting Kate, but also confronting her about her feelings for Castle. And when she does, it doesn’t take long for Beckett to admit to those feelings. In the course of the initial conversation in Kate’s apartment, this moment happens almost casually, but it’s actually a huge deal for Beckett! She has been denying her feelings and declaring she isn’t ready for ages, so the fact that she owns up to being crazy about Castle is a really big step for her.

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It was nice to have Castle back after a three-week hiatus, especially because this season seems to be flying by. While I could have done with a slightly more engaging plot, I will let that slide given the big things that seem to be in store for our favourite crime-fighting pair in the episodes to come this season. “A Dance with Death” was light and not particularly memorable, but had some small moments and side storylines that definitely deserve a mention. And so. To begin.

Beckett in blue

For the most part, I was digging Beckett’s brightly-coloured wardrobe this episode. She’s definitely much more casual this season (and has been following an ever-increasing casual trajectory throughout the show) but we don’t often see her in those popping colours. From bright orange to electric blue to berry pink, this says a lot about what she as a character is comfortable with. Often when Beckett feels unsafe, threatened, or vulnerable, the dark colours and turtlenecks come out in great abundance. Here her wardrobe tells us that she is totally comfortable with herself, her job, her relationship with her co-workers, and her relationship with Castle. This might be lulling both Kate and the viewer into a false sense of security since I have a feeling one or both of the big secrets being kept by Castle and Beckett are going to come out before the end of season 4. But for now, hooray for colour!

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I’m more of a Band-Aid Kind of Gal…Unless You look like Jason Stackhouse

No previouslies this week. I’m rather disappointed, a lot went down. To be fair if you didn’t watch last week’s episode go do that now. Also make sure to read my full recap of “She’s Not There” for all the gritty goodness.

Previously on True Blood:

Sookie returned from Fairyland to discover 12 months had passed. Jason had sold her house to a mysterious buyer, Eric. With impeccable timing he shows up as soon as Sookie is naked to announce “you are mine” and bares his fangs. Jason is still playing caretaker to the meth-orphans in Hot Shot until the meth-babies hit him over the head and lock him in a freezer. Lafayette is a powerful witch and Bill is now the Vampire King of Louisiana.

“You Smell Like Dinner”

Because this show is super freaky, we return this week with Jason waking up tied to a cot somewhere wonders aloud “Is someone licking my head?” Yes Jason, someone is, because these meth-people are shifter types and one of the kids, aptly called Jimbo is trying to heal the gash on his head by licking it, which we watch for an uncomfortable amount of time before Jason asks him to stop

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate all the licking, because I do, but I’m more of a band-aid kind of guy” Continue reading →

True Blood had more happen in their 2 minutes of previouslies than most shows have going on in a season. I don’t know about you, but the sheer amount of crazy shit that goes down in Bon Temps in a span of a couple weeks is why I love this show so dearly.

Before the Opening Credits we’re treated to part of the first 8 minutes that have been kicking around the internet for weeks now. In case you have iron will and haven’t watched it yet, Sookie has been transported to fairyland that like, exists under the cemetery. A magical Grecian inspired place where beautiful people mingle and wear a lot of white.

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I want so much to love everything about Doctor Who, I was as optimistic as possible after last week’s let down in “The Rebel Flesh” that this week “The Almost People” would pick up the pieces and spin the story into something great. I was once again let down. At least this story actually picked up on some of the seasonal clues we’ve been following albeit at the last minute. I was glad to finally be offered a direction and a link back to the AMAZING two part season opener “The Impossible Astronaut” and “The Day of the Moon”.

Telling a story of the creation of sentient life is no easy task. The story of the resistance of the enslaved creatures and the humans that created them is a complex tale and felt rushed and confused over the two episodes given over the past couple weeks.

"Trust Me, I'm the Doctor"

Not all was lost in “The Almost People”, there were some really fantastic comedic notes hit perfectly by Matt Smith playing opposite himself, as the cocky cool Doctor these moments were hilarious and spot on for eleven’s personality. Matt Smith gave us a treat interpreting several Doctors’ past in his wacky transformation scene. I can’t help but think that this episode could have risen to a much higher level of wacky hilarity instead of a strange confused morality take had the two Doctors been allowed to play off each other for a greater portion of the story.

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We’re in for a special treat this week with “The Doctor’s Wife” penned by none other than Neil Gaiman He does an amazing job of weaving in Doctor Who’s mythology into a new and fresh episode that helps new viewers understand what’s going on (as much as anyone can) as well as nodding back to the series’ past for old fans.

For new viewers so much of the Doctor mythology was explained right off the bat. The Doctor is a Time Lord, travels through time with human companions in his sentient space/time machine, the TARDIS. Using the distress-call by Time Lord Mail we understand that he’s from another culture, an extinct culture. And without getting into the nitty-gritty angsty details characteristic of Tennant’s Doctor, we learn that he is the last of his kind, and he feels extreme guilt because the extinction of his race was his fault.